Abstract of Publication

We observed three cichlid species, Cyrtocara orthognathus, C. liemi and an
undescribed species, feeding on eggs, embryos and larval stages of mouthbrooding cichlids
in Lake Malawi. Each species engages in a unique head ramming behaviour, forcing females
to jettison some young involuntarily. The three paedophagous species had either eggs,
embryos and/or larval fish in their stomachs. Cyrtocara orthognathus mimicked
females by turning on and off its stripe depending on whether or not it was stalking the
silver C. eucinostomus or the striped C. pleurotaenia. We discuss two
previous hypotheses concerning how paedophages capture their prey and conclude that ramming
of females is the manner by which most paedophages obtain their food in nature.